Flowerhorn Basics

What exactly is a flowerhorn?
A flowerhorn is a man made hybrid cichlid which is the result of interbreeding many kinds of cichlids. The flowerhorn was invented in 2001, by breeders of South East Asia. Till today they are striving for perfection by cross breeding different strains

There are many breeds of Flowerhorns.
Two of them are listed below.
1) Kamfa
2) Zhen Zhu – blue dragon, red dragon, Kamalau (golden money)

Here are a few ways to differentiate Kamfas and Zhen Zhu
1) the forehead of the Kamfa rises higher that that of the Zhen Zhu
2) the lips of the Kamfa are smooth and circular however the lips of the ZZ are protruding and the lower lip is bigger than the upper lip
3) the flowers of ZZ are more visible than that of Kamfas
4) Kamfa eyes are sunken; however Zhen Zhu eyes are protruding and generally red.

Desired traits in a Flowerhorn
1) Nuchal hump or Kok –. Often associated with prosperity and luck, but it is actually a fat storage area in the Flower horn and has nothing to do with luck. The better the genes of the flowerhorn, the bigger the hump.

2) Colour. According to the breed/strain of the flowerhorn the colour should vary. But the colour should be intense, for ex : a red dragon should have a base colour of red, and a blue dragon should have a base colour of blue.

3) Body shape. The Flowerhorn should not be thin. He should be a little healthy but not over weight. His Kok should be in proportion to the body. Champion Flower Horns KOK is 1/3 rd of the body, however finding such a flowerhorn is very rare.

4) Flowers. The small black mark near the Flowerhorns nuchal hump/kok gives the fish the name Flower horn. The more the flowers on its body the better it is considered as many of the flowers resemble Chinese characters, however there should be spacing between the flowers. A flower horn with a double line of flowers is considered very rare, and looks beautiful. Dragon tears are a term used for a small flower below the eye of the Flower horn. Some people describe it as a tear, hence the name. However it is a very desirable trait, but beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.

5) Fins. The dorsal fin and anal fin of the Flower horn should wrap around the caudal fin and ideally it should look like one big fin. But this trait is generally seen in Kamfas. In Zhen Zhu the fin are more elongated.

Tank size
The thumb rule is that go for the biggest tank u can accommodate and afford. Generally a Flower horn requires a 150 liter tank in the long run. People do keep them in smaller tanks, but it is not recommended as if they are sitting on a potential time bomb if any disease strikes.

Tank mates
Flower horns are solitary fish and should be kept alone. They are very aggressive as they have been interbred from very aggressive cichlids.

Food
Cichlids are voracious eaters and require a diet with protein. You can buy good quality pellets from the market made for flowerhorns. There are a lot of good pellets available in the market. However if u buy the cheapest pellets available then please do not expect your flowerhorn to show a good improvement in his colours/body shape etc. Good nutrition is very important for good development. However it is not necessary to buy the most expensive pellets either. Some good brands available in the market are, Hikari, New Life Spectrum, Azoo, Ching mix, XO ocean free, Grand sumo. You can make homemade food like beef heart or mutton heart. The recipe is available online.